


the moon and his little star

by chlo_bear



Category: haikyuu
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, I don't know any more tags, I love this ship, I wrote this in one sitting you can probably tell, Sadness, guys i promise it's not that sad, i tried don't judge, it's sorta sad but not that sad so please read it, sad ending ig
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28142769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlo_bear/pseuds/chlo_bear
Summary: Tadashi Yamaguchi is a hopeful boy whose dream is to become an author. Tsukishima Kei has already given up on his dream, but perhaps his new one can be to help the boy he loves.
Relationships: Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	the moon and his little star

“This is terrible.”

Yamaguchi groaned and slumped awkwardly in his chair. 

“Is it really?” he asked, looking at Tsukishima miserably.

“No,” Tsukishima said, smirking, “It’s pretty good, but it does need some work.” 

Yamaguchi snatched the pile of papers out of Tsukishima’s hands, a devastated look on his face. He had been working on this project for quite some time and had asked Tsukishima to be the first one to read it. Ms. Yamaguchi would soon be the second. 

“I just can’t get the hang of it,” Yamaguchi mumbled, “Maybe I’m just not cut out for writing or something.” 

“No, you _are_ a good writer,” he insisted, “You just need practice.”

Writing was all Yamaguchi talked about. Tsukishima could always catch him daydreaming about his next work, or muttering some narrative. Random poems seemed to pour out of him, spoken thoughts broke silences that Tsukishima enjoyed. As annoying as it sometimes was, his dreamy look was mesmerizingly beautiful. Perhaps Tsukishima had given up on his dream a long time ago, but that didn’t mean Yamaguchi had to.

“Sugawara Sensei can give you some pointers tomorrow, he always says you can make it big as a writer.”

Yamaguchi was pondering this suggestion when a familiar face strolled into the waiting room. Yamaguchi stuffed the enormous amount of paper in his worn down backpack and stood up, Tsukishima following suit. The nurse waved. They waved back. 

“She’s ready for you,” Kiyoko said, the same stoic expression on her face. 

They walked down the same route they always did and found the same woman they always found at the end of it. 

“Tadashi! Kei!” A warm smile on a warm woman’s face greeted them. She always looked so lively and healthy, it was hard to believe that her heart could stop beating any minute. 

“Hello Ms. Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima bowed in front of the woman sitting in bed. 

“Kei, come on, I told you to call me Akari.” Her words were light but her eyes were full of warning and Tsukishima was for once glad she wasn’t allowed to get up and hit him.

“And he still won’t listen,” Yamaguchi said, jabbing in the arm. 

“Shimizu,” Ms. Yamaguchi said to Kiyoko, “Looking as beautiful as ever, I see.”

Kiyoko rarely ever smiled, but Ms. Yamaguchi seemed to have a special way with people. A trait she shared with her son.

“Thank you, ma’am,” the nurse said, her lips curling up gently, “That’s very kind.”

“And has that man of yours proposed yet?” she asked, a sly smirk on her face. 

“He tried to, yesterday, I think. Nishinoya and Hinata tried to stop me from going home by jumping in front of my car.” A small huff of indignation escaped the nurse’s lips. “I almost had to work overtime.” 

The patient slapped her thigh and let out a boisterous laugh that seemed too loud for such a frail woman. 

“Well,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes, “I hope one of these days that boy is successful.” 

This time, a full smile shone through.

“Yes, I hope so too.”

With that, the nurse left the three alone. 

* * *

  
  


The sun was just beginning to set when Yamaguchi at last released his hopeless sighs. 

“I knew it,” he said as he stared at the road, “I’m an awful writer. Already burnt out at 16.” He kicked at the rocks in his path weakly. 

“You know that’s not true,” Tsukishima said, rolling his eyes. Yamaguchi always got into these sulking stages when he finished his projects. He usually ended with a speech about working hard and reaching your goals. It was quite the entertainment. 

“Did you hear the first thing my mom said after she finished it?” he asked incredulously. He changed his voice into a higher pitch that sounded frighteningly similar to his mother’s. “ ‘First of all, I just want to say I’m so proud of you.’" He threw his hands up, a scowl forming on his lips. "Like, red flag. She couldn’t even say anything good about it.”

“It was your first time writing an entire book, of course she’s proud. You should be too.”

Yamaguchi crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders, a brooding look on his face. 

"You just have to practice more, that's it," Tsukishima reminded, "Everyone needs it to succeed."

“I have to work even harder now, huh?” he said, eyebrows narrowed.

Here it comes…

“Yes,” Tsukishima agreed, holding back a laugh, “Yes, you certainly do.”

“Okay!” Yamaguchi jumped up and thrust his fist in the air. “I can totally do this!"

“Yes, you can.” Tsukishima hid his smile and raised his fist up with his friend.

“Because without labor, nothing prospers.” The freckled boy puffed out his chest proudly.

“Didn’t Sophocles say that?” Tsukishima questioned skeptically, at which Yamaguchi waved his hand dismissively at.

“Nope, I made it up,” he said lightly.

“Sure you did.” 

A slight blush crept across Yamaguchi’s grinning face.

“Don’t you worry, Tsukki!” he declared a little too loudly, “One day, I’ll become a famous author and make tons of money and you won’t have to live with your dad anymore!” He threw his arm around Tsukishima and jumped up and down uncontrollably. Tsukishima turned away to hide his burning eyes. 

Out of nowhere, Yamaguchi grabbed his hand and started sprinting at full speed down the sidewalk, dragging him along. The pair of them ran and ran, breathing heavily but having just enough air to laugh all the same. The sinking sun was shining on their ecstatic faces as they tore down the road, causing the crowds to grumble as they shouldered their way through. Yamaguchi’s hand felt warm in his. Tsukishima never wanted to let go. 

But eventually, he would have to. 

* * *

_5 years later._

Tsukishima didn’t like begging his father for anything, sure, it was embarrassing, but more importantly, his father always wanted that certain thing in return. The thing Tsukishima had been avoiding for almost 3 years and counting. 

But this time around, this knowledge made no difference. 

“Yes, I’ll sign it if you do this for me," Tsukishima said, his lips set in firm line.

His father raised a thin eyebrow and a corner of his mouth twitched in amusement. “Alright, I’ll get right on it then.” 

It was all Tsukishima could do to jump on his father’s perfectly polished desk and punch the sickening smirk off the despicable man’s face. Taking a deep breath, he just managed to walk out the huge office that would now eventually be his and leave the building. As soon as he stepped out, he dialed a number had memorized long ago. The calling tone rang in his ear and a few seconds later, he answered. 

“Tadashi,” Tsukishima said, trying not to let desperation leak out of his voice.

“Kei,” a voice replied over the speaker. 

Tsukishima took a deep breath and forced a smile. 

“I got you that meeting with Nekoma Publishing and Editorial Co..”

The smile became real when he heard the gasp of surprise across the phone. A jumble of words followed. 

“No way, you have to be kidding, there’s no way, this can’t be happening, there’s--”

“Yes it’s happening,” Tsukishima interrupted, happy at the reaction, “My father had some connections and he made it happen.” 

“Wait a second! He didn’t ask you to sign, did he?” 

Tsukishima’s smile fell with his stomach. 

“No, of course not,” he lied, “This was just a favor.”

“Are you sure he won’t ask for it though?” 

Tsukishima could almost smile at the worry in his friend’s voice. There was someone who truly cared for him. That would make anyone smile. 

“Yes, I’m sure,” he lied again, his stomach back in its place but now twisting and churning. “The meeting’s in two weeks, so you’ll have time to prepare.”

“Tsukki?” 

The drone of cars passing and the quiet rumble of a distant storm filled the silence before Tsukishima answered.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied automatically.

“No seriously,” Tadashi insisted, “Thank you. This could be everything for me.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I did it."

Yamaguchi snickered over the phone. “I wish I was there with you right now. I would hug you so hard.”

“Glad you’re not here then.”

“Tsukishima Kei, you are literally the best friend I could ever ask for.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll see you soon when you get back from Okinawa.”

“Okay! I’ll see you then.” 

That was a lie. 

Yamaguchi Tadashi was in the hospital before he ever made it back to Tokyo.

* * *

  
  


_1 year later._

“They loved it,” Yamaguchi said, holding out his arms. Tsukishima ran into the hug.

“Of course they did,” he mumbled against his shoulder, “I told you so.” 

Yamaguchi leaned back on the hospital bed. “Yeah, I know you did.”

“Did they say when they were going to start the publishing process?”

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi said, bouncing excitedly on the mattress, “They said I’ll be meeting my editor soon. His name’s Akaashi Keiji. Isn’t that so cool?”

Tsukishima smiled. Even at age 22, Yamaguchi Tadashi still acted like a child. Adorable.

“Wha- Are you crying?!” Yamaguchi said in disbelief.

Tsukishima’s eyes burned as flashes of the frustrated tears and eye bags that had been stuck on Tadashi’s face for the past year came to him. Ms. Yamaguchi had been dead for 4 years but Tsukishima could almost see the proud look on her face. _‘That’s my son’_ she would say, ‘ _I always said he would be a star, didn’t I?_ ’. Tsukishima blinked hard multiple times and cleared his throat before turning back to him. 

“No, idiot, of course not. Why would I be crying?” he snapped.

Yamaguchi sucked in a delighted gasp. “Aw, Kei is showing his feelings. Is it because you’re just so proud of me? I bet that’s it,” he pressed his hand dramatically to his chest, “So happy to finally gain your affection.” 

“Shut up,” he muttered, flicking Yamaguchi’s laughing face. Nonetheless, he climbed into the creaky bed when Yamaguchi motioned for him to sit beside him. The faint sound of the heart monitor beeping sounded near them, but was ignored. They simply laid there, arms wrapped around each other, eyes closed, and breathing softly as the sun fell from her great height and the moon finally emerged out of the dark, vast sky. 

* * *

_2 years later._

Tsukishima Kei stared, enchanted, at the picture books that filled the one of the floor to ceiling bookshelves at the Tokyo Bookstore. All of them had the same buttery yellow cover on them. On them was a simple star and crescent moon beside it. The titles read _The Little Star by Tadashi Yamaguchi._

He dialed the author’s number. 

“I see-- the book, it’s here,” he said breathlessly.

A happy noise came from the speaker. He could almost see Yamaguchi bouncing in his bed. “Are you serious? I wish I could be there! That’s so cool! Man, so cool. Stupid heart, wish it would just work correctly.” 

“I’ll get a copy,” he said, already grabbing one off the shelves. 

“Idiot, I’m the author, I have my own copy.” 

Tsukishima sheepishly slid the book back. 

“Right, I forgot.”

Yamaguchi’s contagious laugh that mirrored that of his mother’s spread to Tsukishima’s lips. 

“Why did you name it _The Little Star_ though?” he asked tentatively. He had asked Yamaguchi multiple times about the title but had never gotten a straight answer. 

A soft sigh from the phone echoed in his ear.

“My mom used to call me that a lot when I was little.” His voice was faint and quiet, as if he were in a completely different world. “I sort of wrote parts of myself in the story, so I thought the name fitting.”

A silence ensued, both of them completely occupied by the thoughts in their head. 

“Well,” Yamaguchi said, snapping Tsukishima back to the conversation, “Come over already so we can read it together, then you make fun of my writing all you want.”

“I won’t,” Tsukishima protested. They both knew it was a lie.

Soon, they were sitting together in the dimly lit hospital room, the book in Yamaguchi’s lap. The author cleared his throat and opened the large cover with a dramatic flourish. 

“ _The Little Star and His Moon by Tadashi Yamaguch_ i. Hey that’s me,” he said, grinning widely. Tsukishima was about to roll his eyes when the title caught his attention. 

“ _And His Moon_?” he asked confusedly, leaning over Yamaguchi’s shoulder to get a closer look at the book, “When did you add that?”

“I added it when I first started writing it, stupid. You just didn’t notice.” Yamaguchi stuck out his tongue petulantly.

“More like you never show me your writing till it's done,” he grumbled, sitting back in his chair.

“No more interruptions.” Yamaguchi held up his skinny arms in an ‘X’ shape. “You must listen to my absolutely beautiful writing and then be in awe when I am done.”

“Yes, sir,” Tsukishima replied flatly.

Yamaguchi looked back at the book in his lap and began. 

“ _The Little Star and His Moon by Tadashi Yamaguchi_.” There was a little giddiness in his voice as he read his name, which Tsukishima couldn’t help but smile at. He flipped to page one. “One bright day, the little star had a dream. In his dream, he was the brightest star in the night sky, brighter than all his friends, even brighter than the shine of the moon.

“When the sun fell, he awoke from his sleep to see that he was not the brightest star in the sky. Not even the second brightest. He looked to his friend, the moon, and asked ‘Mr. Moon, what can I do to become the brightest star in the sky?’. The kind moon looked back at him and told him ‘I can share my light with you, then we can be the brightest lights in the galaxy’. But this little star was a selfish thing and replied ‘My dream is to be the brightest in the galaxy! Not one of the brightest!’. The moon--” 

Yamaguchi’s voice had gotten quieter and quieter as the story progressed and finally his voice cracked as one fat tear rolled down his cheek. Tsukishima stepped towards the bed to gently sweep it away and held the crying boy’s face. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly, “Did I--”

“No,” he retorted, pushing his hands away, “No, it’s fine, I’m fine. I’ll keep reading.”

He took in a deep breath and continued. 

“The moon thought long and hard about this little star’s dream. The moon was too kind and selfless to refuse such the star’s wishes. He wanted to please the other stars in his sky. So the next night, he gave his light to the selfish little star. As promised, this little star became the brightest star in the sky, brighter than all his friends, even brighter than the shine of the moon.

“The star was truly living his dream and joy filled him. The little star turned to thank the kind moon but there was no moon, for when he had lost his beautiful light, he had fallen from the sky. From mountains to rivers, the little star searched, but he could not find him. At last, the star returned to his spot in the sky. He was the brightest star in the sky, but the galaxy he sat in felt empty without his friend. He realized his selfishness and asked for forgiveness from the moon. He offered up his light to bring the moon back. The little star wept tears that turned into the rain and cried out to the heavens that the moon might be returned. 

“At last, one starry night, the moon came back. ‘I ask for your forgiveness’ the little star begged, ‘Will you share this light with me?’ The kind moon opened his arms to the little star and they shared it. That night, they hung beside each other in the dark sky, laughing like old friends.

“The little star and his moon. Shining together. The brightest lights in the galaxy.”

* * *

  
  
  


_7 years later._

Tsukishima Kei closed his laptop with a quiet thud. The setting sun was reflecting off the excessively tinted windows, making the interior of his office as dim as his mood. 

“Sir.” A nervous man’s face peeked from behind the large mahogany doors.

“Yes, Goshiki, what is it?” he snapped. He regretted his sharp tone when his assistant flinched but it had been a long day, for everyone. 

“Just wanted to verify your meeting tomorrow, sir,” Goshiki said, head bowed.

“Yes, tell Nekoma Co. that I’ll be there tomorrow. 10 o’clock sharp.”

“Thank you,” Goshiki said. He bowed and almost ran out of the office.

Tsukishima sighed and leaned back in his massive leather chair. It was time to get going. With difficulty, he pushed himself out of his seat and sluggishly packed his things to leave.

A few minutes later, he was parked in a deserted parking lot to the cemetery. It had been his 11th time there in 11 years. The approaching winter had hardened the grass under his shoes, the greenery cracking with every step he made. The shadows of bare branches dappled his face as he walked further on to his destination. Finally, a familiar tree came into view. 

Tsukishima kneeled in front of one of the worn down tombstones and spoke into the cold air.

“Hey Ms. Yama-- er, I mean Akari.” She would’ve smacked him for that slip up. “How’ve you been? I wish I could come more often, but running a company makes it a bit hard. And my father lectures me on every little mistake I make. It’s pretty exhausting.” He reached into the bag he had brought and grabbed the bouquet of daisies. “I still can’t remember what your favorite flower is, so this time I got you these daisies from Wakatoshi. Do you remember him? He always delivered the flowers Tanaka got for Kiyoko at the hospital. They married a couple years ago, but I think I already told you that. Kiyoko got too impatient and proposed to him.” Tsukishima let out a laugh and crinkled his brown eyes. “They really are perfect for each other. Kiyoko’s got a little boy now, if you can believe it.”

Tsukishima continued to tell her all the happenings of the past year until the time of their special tradition came. His hand went to his bag again but this time, he held a large book with faded yellow binding. He sat cross legged with it in his lap and flipped open the cover, like he had done many times. Tilting the pages to the falling sun so he could read the words, he began reading. 

“... together. The brightest lights in the galaxy.” 

The sun was almost submerged when he spoke the last words. Tears were burning in his eyes, despite the resolution he wouldn’t cry this time. Furiously rubbing his eyes, he placed the book back in his bag. He shuffled his body over to the stone next to Akari’s that was of similar size and color. His fingers ran along the cold surface until finally falling onto the frosty ground. 

“Hey Tadashi.” Tsukishima smiled softly at the words engraved into the grayish green rock. “Remember when you read that to me? I wouldn’t stop making fun of you for crying after that.” A small snicker filled the silence. “I always wondered how you found out about my dad though. You never told me. Guess I’m not very good at hiding things, am I?” This time, a sigh was what left his lips. “We never got to be the brightest lights in the galaxy, did we? 

The bright rays of the winter sun had completely disappeared and the face of the moon materialized just above the tree. The pale glow shone through the dark branches. 

“Look, Tadashi!” he exclaimed, his warm breath fogging up his glasses, “The moon and…” 

A small sparkle to the bottom right of the crescent caught his eye. 

“Venus,” he breathed, but shook his head immediately, “No.”

He turned back to the small stone buried in the frosty grass.

“A star.” 


End file.
